Felix Hernandez was listed on Venezuela’s provisional roster when it was announced last month, but recent events have caused him to change his mind about participating in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. You can probably guess what impacted his decision.

Per @arreazaortega, Felix now skipping WBC, because of new contract and "pressure" from M's.

This shouldn’t come as surprising news, as the Mariners and Hernandez are reportedly close to finalizing a record $175 million extension. Coming off four straight seasons with at least 232 innings pitched, the M’s would clearly prefer that Hernandez have his usual routine in spring training rather than ramp things up early in a hyper-competitive situation and risk potential injury. Given what they are investing in him from now until 2019, you can’t blame them for that.